


Foolish Heart

by greenwillow



Series: Another Time, Perhaps [6]
Category: The Last Kingdom (TV)
Genre: A little seasonal seduction for you, Courtly Love, Cunnilingus, F/M, GET IT AETHELFLAED, I swear I have written a version of this scene 5 times already but this time it's FESTIVE!, Oral Sex, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:55:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28317843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenwillow/pseuds/greenwillow
Summary: It's Christmas in Aylesbury, and the Lady of Mercia has grown weary after the day's festivities. Luckily, Aldhelm is by her side to attend to her.OrChristmas gift exchange but make it sexy.
Relationships: Aethelflaed Lady of Mercia/Aldhelm (The Last Kingdom)
Series: Another Time, Perhaps [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075304
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	Foolish Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this post](https://titaniae.tumblr.com/post/638426238645633024/merry-christmas-aethelflaed-x-aldhelm-nation) and the TLK cast Christmas video. This is my little gift to everyone who ships this teeny tiny ship. You are all lovely people and I adore you. Happy Holidays <3

The hall at Aylesbury was filled with such revelry and cheer that it spread to the gates of the city and beyond, spilling out to the farthest reaches of the kingdom. Light and laughter and generosity reigned, unlike anything that had been seen in the years Aethelred had been on the throne. Under Lady Aethelflaed’s leadership, Mercia had never been stronger nor happier. 

Aethelflaed had been full of light all day as well. Aldhelm could not deny it filled his heart with gladness to see her smiling so often. Every small thing seemed to bring her joy in this season. 

Aelfwynn too made him glad. She had been permitted to stay up much past her usual bedtime and help distribute gifts to each member of the household, a task she took quite seriously, looking much like her mother as she trotted to and fro to locate each recipient. It must have been nearly midnight when the child finally grew weary enough to let him carry her away to bed. He caught Aethelflaed’s eye as he lifted Aelfwynn into his arms, and as the girl rested her head on his chest Aldhelm had never been more content in his duty. 

He returned to the hall moments later after passing the precious cargo into the capable hands of Sable. Aethelflaed maintained her regal posture but her expression had grown weary. Lord Cynewulf, it seemed, had approached her with a request—he had become rather too familiar of late. The Lord was lingering by, talking a bit too loudly of his good fortune for Aldhelm to find appropriate. He had overindulged in the mead, most likely. Aldhelm steered him towards the end of the hall where his wife was seated, where he would be less likely to disrupt the festivities. 

Finally resuming his seat at Aethelflaed’s side, he was able to appreciate how elegant the hall looked. The tables were draped with garland and covered in platters bearing meats, fruits, and bread, flagons of cider and ale. Dozens of torches, still burning brightly, caught upon the silver and gold scattered throughout the hall adorning the finery of their guests. The room had never appeared so well used. 

“You should have a drink, Aldhelm.”

He turned to see his lady’s gaze fixed on him. Her eyes were dancing and her cheeks slightly ruddy from her own goblet—the weariness seemed to have abated, at least for now. 

Aldhelm raised his glass in a silent toast and took a sip. She smiled, but before he could speak was solicited by an Ealdorman who had appeared before them. 

This was always the way, even on high holidays—perhaps especially, even. And she did not complain. She was content in her duties much as he was, but she was also tired. He could see the weight of it in the way she carried herself when they were alone, in the small lines that had appeared at the corners of her mouth and eyes over the past few years. 

Finally, the Ealdorman bowed and made his way from the head table. Aethelflaed sighed, almost too softly to be heard above the chatter in the hall, and tapped her fingertips against her near-empty goblet. 

“You ought to rest,” he could not help himself from advising. 

She turned to him with one brow arched, an expression more amused than incredulous. “Is that a command, Lord?”

“Merely counsel, my lady.”

She appeared satisfied with that answer. Her face resumed its neutral expression as she took another sip of wine, though he could sense her thoughts simmering below that tranquil surface. 

The feast carried on and he remained by her side, but in time her eyelids grew so heavy she could no longer hide her exhaustion. He would not make his recommendation a second time—that was not his way, nor had it ever been necessary—but would wait for her to make up her own mind.

It had grown very late indeed when she finally turned to him again, placing a hand on his arm. 

“You are right.” Her voice was layered with contentment as well as fatigue. “I will rest.”

He brushed his fingers over hers, watching the way her mouth curved into a smile at his touch. “Would you like me to carry you there?” 

“No, but I will accept the offer of an escort.”

He obliged with a nod and offered his arm as they slipped from the room. There were, of course, eyes upon them—rumors dogged at her heels, always—but she defied any man to accuse her of a lack of loyalty. She had shed her own blood for Mercia dozens of times and would do it dozens more. She would rather die than betray the land she had come to love so dearly. He would rather die as well. So far, they had danced around the line but never crossed it. 

This night, however…this night felt different. 

Aldhelm lingered on the threshold of her chambers, expecting to bid her goodnight and make his way to his own room. But rather than allowing him to caress her hand or (as he had hoped), herself bestowing a kiss on his cheek, she drew him inside with her. 

He closed the door behind them, heart pounding in his chest. She was already removing her boots and hose. 

Aethelflaed turned her back to him, gesturing to the lacing that ran up her spine to secure the bodice of her burgundy gown, reserved for the most sacred occasions.

“My maid would help me, but…” 

He complied, his fingers working with a precision that surprised even him. She had swept her hair over one shoulder, leaving the gentle angles of her neck and back exposed to him. He was unable to resist pressing a kiss to her shoulder as the garment fell to the floor with a gentle whisper. 

Looking down at her he confirmed the fervor in her eyes matched his own desire. She was clad now only in a shift, delicate and sheer, revealing both too much and too little. 

“You ought to rest,” he found himself repeating, though his heart cried within him for his mind to cease its scrutiny.

“I will,” she replied, and taking him by the hand led him towards her bed. 

He knew then, kneeling before her, that should they fan these flames this latent state they had lingered in for so long could never be recovered. 

Aldhelm met her gaze—unflinching, glowing—and wet his lips before asking, “What does my lady command?”

She drew in a deep breath and brought his hand to her breast. 

“I command that you follow every whim of your heart, Aldhelm.”

He felt his mouth go dry. To touch her this way, separated only by a thin layer of cloth and what shred of his good sense remained, was a dream he’d suppressed for years. He obeyed. He was incapable of behaving otherwise, now that she’d leveled the walls between them with a single movement, a single word.

Eyes still locked on hers, he lifted the hem of her garment and placed a hand on each knee. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and her mouth fell open. That was more than he could bear. He dipped his head beneath the curve of her leg and began to follow the whims of his foolish heart. Gradually moving towards her waist, he pressed his mouth along the inside of her thighs, allowing his hands to warm themselves on the altar of her hips.

She exhaled a shaky breath as he neared her cunt, and he paused, extending a hand to take her own where it lay, fingers trembling and arched over the furs lining her bed. 

“Lady—“

One word—a question, a blessing, and a plea all at once. 

“Don’t stop,” she murmured, pressing his hand before she released it. 

She tasted bitter and sweet. She tasted like life, like victory, like beauty. She was beautiful…so beautiful, and so completely unknown to him in ways he had not realized. He had been in love with her for so long, by her side for so many years, he had all but forgotten she had a myriad of aspects he had not been privy to. Even in that moment, as she came undone by his touch, he was supremely aware that he was just now beginning to know her.

Her taste lingered on his lips as he lay beside her, fixed on the way her cheeks flushed with the pleasure he’d brought her, watching her chest rise and fall in sync with his own. She pulled him closer, and he thought how strange it was to feel so strong and so vulnerable at once. She kissed him, and a tear rolled down her cheek to land on his own. He pulled back, concerned, but her expression was one of happiness, not grief. 

He kissed her again, softer this time, then let his forehead rest on hers. She was stroking his beard and he captured her hand, an echo of the gesture he’d attempted prior to their encounter, and brought it to his lips.

“Will you rest now?” he asked, and watched, enchanted, as her smile grew. 

She closed her eyes and lay back in the crook of his elbow, one hand firmly fixed to his chest as if to assure her of his true presence. 

“I will rest, Aldhelm. But in the morning, I will repay your gift in kind.”

Only she could relay so intimate a promise in such authoritative terms.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed you can reblog the photoset [here.](https://aadmelioraa.tumblr.com/post/638499033178112000/foolish-heart-aethelflaed-x-aldhelm-16k-rated)


End file.
